Our world face many challenges, crises and forces of division — such as poverty, violence, and human rights abuses — among many others — that undermine peace, security, development and social harmony among the world’s peoples.
To confront those crises and challenges, their root causes must be addressed by promoting and defending a shared spirit of human solidarity that takes many forms — the simplest of which is friendship.
Through friendship — by accumulating bonds of camaraderie and developing strong ties of trust — we can contribute to the fundamental shifts that are urgently needed to achieve lasting stability, weave a safety net that will protect us all, and generate passion for a better world where all are united for the greater good. .UN

Background
The International Day of Friendship is an initiative that follows on the proposal made by UNESCO and taken up by the UN General Assembly in 1997 (A/RES/52/13), which defined the Culture of Peace as a set of values, attitudes and behaviours that reject violence and endeavour to prevent conflicts by addressing their root causes with a view to solving problems.
In its resolution of 1998, proclaiming the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001–2010) (A/RES/53/25), the General Assembly recognized that enormous harm and suffering are caused to children through different forms of violence. It emphasized that the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence should be instilled in children through education. If children learn to live together in peace and harmony that will contribute to the strengthening of international peace and cooperation.
The Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (A/RES/53/243) adopted in 1999 set 8 areas of action for nations, organizations and individuals to undertake in order for a culture of peace to prevail:
• foster a culture of peace through education;
• promote sustainable economic and social development;
• promote respect for all human rights;
• ensure equality between women and men;
• foster democratic participation;
• advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity;
• support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge;
• promote international peace and security.
The International Day of Friendship is also based on the recognition of the relevance and importance of friendship as a noble and valuable sentiment in the lives of human beings around the world.
The International Day of Friendship was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.
The resolution (A/RES/65/275) places particular emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for diversity.
The Day is also intended to support the goals and objectives of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).
To mark the International Day of Friendship the UN encourages governments, international organizations and civil society groups to hold events, activities and initiatives that contribute to the efforts of the international community towards promoting a dialogue among civilizations, solidarity, mutual understanding and reconciliation.

The World Population Day is a United Nations’ initiative celebrated on the 11th of July every year. This day aims at spreading awareness about the exploding world population and the importance of reproductive health. World Population Day 2018 observes the theme, “Family planning is a human right.” For the first time, this day was celebrated in the year 1989. The Governing Council of the United Nations’ Development Program initiated this due to the population toll in the year 1987. It had already crossed the 5 billion mark and exploding world population had indeed become a serious cause of concern. Therefore, this day was initiated to combat the issue of growing population and raise awareness among the public about the same. World Population Day, on a vast scale, focuses on the need and importance of controlling the increasing world population. World Population Day 2018, however, focuses on the importance of family planning. The slogan, “Family planning is a human right,” for the first time, gives response to a 50-year-old legislation which states that women and girls can refuse to have multiple pregnancies placed too close, if they wanted.
What is the importance of World Population Day?
The primary aim of this initiative is to increase awareness about reproductive health problems among the people. This is due to the fact that a large number of pregnant women succumb to poor reproductive health. Research shows that 800 women die every day due to the process of birthing a baby. Therefore, the primary aim and importance of this day is to get more and more people to know how to boost their reproductive health pay attention on the importance of family planning.
World Population Day is the celebration of awareness; one which tries to get people to know and learn about population issues. Population issues include things like family planning, human rights, right to health, the baby’s health, gender equality, child marriage, use of contraceptives, sex education, knowledge about sexually transmitted disease, etc.
Sexuality-related issues need to be addressed between 15-19 years of age. This is due to the fact that 15 million pregnancies in the world take place in women of this age group. Out of these, 4 million pregnancies end in abortion due to pregnancy complication or other reproductive health-related issues.
Take a look at the many objectives of the World Population Day 2018:
1. This day is celebrated to empower both, young boys and girls.
2. Educating them about reasonable and youth-friendly techniques of avoid unwanted pregnancies at a young age.
3. Ensuring the access of primary education for both girls and boys.
4. Educating people to remove gender stereotypes from the society.
Also read: World Population Day: 11 Essential Facts You Must Know
5. Educating people about sexually transmitted infections and how they can be prevented.
6. Ensuring easy access to reproductive health care services to every couple.
7. Demanding certain laws for protecting the rights of a girl child.
Also read: 6 Things You Should Know About Sexually Transmitted Diseases
8. To offer knowledge about sexuality and continue delaying marriages until and unless one is able to understand the responsibilities which come along with it.